Seaming mechanism



S. E. WERNER SEAMING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 23, 41938 2 Sheets-Sheet l um@ qu nmlmlmll FIG.

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INVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented Jan. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES SEAMING MECHANISM Stanton E. Werner, Highland Park, N. J., assigner to E. R. Squibb & Sons, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 23, 1938, Serial No. 226,224

1 Claim.

This invention relates to mechanisms for producing uniform annular deformations on circular objects, and has for its object the provision of an improved tool for automatic seaming ma- 5 chines of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No,

The improved tool of this invention is especially adapted for sealing sheet-metal containers lsuch as are described in application Ser. No.

745,714, led September 27, 1934, now Patent No. 2,202,021, dated May 28, 1940; which containers have a spout terminating in an upwardlyextending margin, a supporting ring internally ,x of the spout margin, and a cap of relatively soft metal with an annular ilange interposed between the spout margin and the ring.

The improved tool of this invention essentially comprises freely-rotatable rollers (having peripheries corresponding to the desired deformation) mounted on carriers and adapted to approach the object to be deformed in a plane. More particularly, the rollers are mounted on ends of the carriers, which are impelled outwardly by centrifugal force due to rotation of 2 the tool, and uniformly forced inwardly by the action of a cam, the rollers approaching the object to be deformed in a horizontal plane.

Where the object is a container of the type mentioned, the rollers serve to approximate the spout margin to the ring by external pressure upon the former, and may have fiat or concave edges to force inwardly the curled edge of the spout margin, or comparatively sharp or other convex edges to force inwardly the middle or other annular band of the spout margin.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved tool of this invention in operative position on a container;

Fig. 2 is. a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an axial sectional view of an assembled container closure, preparatory to sealing by means of the improved tool of this invention;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, corresponding to Fig. 1, of the tool in a position prior to operative position; and

Fig. 5 is a View, partly in axial section, and

partly in elevation, illustrating the connection of the tool of this invention to an automatic seaming machine of the type shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,490,339, the arms and carriers being removed for clearer illustration.

The tool (as shown in Fig. 5) is detachably (Cl. 11B- 24) connected with a tubular spindle E by meansV of a threaded coupling member 1 provided with a set-screw 8 (Fig. l). Spindle 6 is rotative in sleeve 9 (Fig. 5), preferably by means of antifriction bearings at I0, Il, the bearing |0 sus- 5V taining spindle 6 on sleeve 9 and the bearing resisting thrusts on the spindle. The sleeve and spindle are sustained, and raised and lowered, by pinion I2 meshing with rack I3 on sleeve 9, and actuated by means of drive gear 10 |11. Spindle 6 at its upper end is slidably connected with a. gear I5 adapted` to rotate the spindle, as by` means of a spline and feather between said shaft and gear, through which gear the adjacent portion of the spindle may slide. 15 Gear I5 is in mesh with a pinion I0 on a shaft I1, which may be driven by any suitable means.

The tool comprises coupling member 1 (Fig. 5) which carries exteriorly a conical cam member 20, and interiorly a head piece 2|. Head piece 20 2| is rotated with, but slidable in, coupling 1, being provided for that purpose with a pin 22 (Fig. 4) threaded into the head piece and operating in a slot 23 in the coupling 1.

I-lead piece 2| (Fig. 2) is provided with car- 25 riers 24 and 25 vertically pivoted thereon at one of their ends by means of screw bolts 28 and 21, respectively. Carriers 24 and 25 have mounted thereon freely rotatable rollers 28 and 29, respectively, by means of pins 30 and 3|, respec- 30 tively. i t

The radial or outward movement of the carriers 24 and 25 is arrested by adjustable pins 32 and 33 (Fig. 1) xed in the lower ends of levers or rocker arms 34 and 35 which are fulcrumed on 35 head piece 2| by pins 36 and 31, respectively. The rocker arms are actuated by the conical face of cam 20 (by the slidable contact of said face with rollers 36 and 39 on said rocker arms) the rocker arms being pressed` against the cam by means of spring 40, attached to both arms.

Interiorly of spindle 6 and head piece 2| is a pilot rod 4| (Fig. 5) which is provided at its upper end with an adjustable cross bar 42 held 5 in position by set-screw 43; depending from the cross bar, and slidable in guiding bores in the frame of the machine are two guide rods 44 and 45, and compressed between the cross bar and frame and surrounding the guide rods are 50 helical coil springs 46 and 41. Attached to the lower end of the pilot rod is a travel stop 48 of a -shape adapted to readily seat on the top of the object to be Worked upon. Head piece 2| is provided with a hard bushing 49 surrounding 55 the pilot rod and is separated from the travel stop by an anti-friction bearing 50.

In the operation of the improved tool of this invention, an assembly consisting of a softmetal cap 6l (Fig. 3) and a hard-metal ring 60 is inserted into the mouth of a container 62, the assembly resting on a shoulder formed in the tapered hard-metal spout thereof The container, having its closure thus loosely fitted therein, is placed beneath the tool into operative position (determined by a suitable guide member on the work table). The tool is continuously rotated and may be reciprocated only when a container is in operative position (as detailed in U. S. Patent 1,490,339) or preferably, intermittently without relation to the position of the container, the containers being placed in operative position during the period the tool is raised (this manner of operation also being detailed in Patent 1,490,339). When the tool is in raised position, the carrier arms (and rollers thereon) are maintained away from the axis of rotation (by the centrifugal force) until the travel stop seats on cap BI (Fig. 4) whereby further downward travel of the head piece 2l is stopped; spindle 6 then continues its downward movement and cam 2li forces the rocker arms apart which in turn force the carrier arms inwardly; the spinning rollers 28 and 29 are thus forced into firm contact with portion 65 of the spout margin, below the curled edge 66 thereof (Figs. 1 and 2). In this manner, the spout margin undergoes an annular deformation, a circumferential groove being pressed thereinto, the flange of the soft-metal cap 6l being squeezed between the hard-metal spout margin, and the hard-metal ring 60 to form a virtually hermetic seal. .n 15. y':

On retraction. of the tool, the hereinalbo've described action is reversed, i. e., the cam first releases the rocker arms and the action of spring 40 and of centrifugal force on the carriers returns these parts to their initial positions, and the travel stop is then raised from the container to permit discharge thereof and insertion of another into operative position.

Manifestly, the improved tool of this invention would be effective for sealing other types of closures than that specically shown, and may be employed generally on circular objects where annular deformation is desired.

The invention may be variously otherwise embodied-as by varying the number and contour of the rollers-within the scope of the appended' claim.

I claim:

In a mechanism for producing uniform annular deformations on circular objects, a vertical rotary head piece, centrifugally-displaceable carriers pivoted on a vertical axis on the head piece, rollers on the carriers freely-rotatable on vertical axes and having their peripheries conforming to the desired deformation, arms pivoted on a horizontal axis on the head piece having adjustable elements at their lower ends contacting the carriers and contacting at their upper ends a cam slidably mounted on the head piece, and means for sliding the cam on the head piece to force the rollers uniformly against the object to be deformed.

STANTON E. WERNER. 

